Kids Dish

Sam isn’t a good eater. He’s not a terrible eater, but there are days when he refuses to eat anything but Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies. I love Cheddar Bunnies, and it pleases me that they’re made from real things, like organic wheat flour and cheese, and they don’t have any weird chemicals or things I can’t pronounce, but it pleases me more when the boy actually eats a real dinner that doesn’t include snack crackers. This week has been good so far. Sam’s been eating more than I’ve ever seen him eat and the other night, after eating a plate of rotini and tomato sauce with broccoli he indicated that he was still hungry.

The word indicated does not accurately describe the action. When he wants to eat, Sam signs the ASL sign for “eat” furiously, practically slamming his hand to his mouth. Not wanting him to starve, yet not wanting to leave the table to get him more pasta, I offered him some of the food on my plate, a red Thai curry with tofu, pineapple and broccoli.

I put a bit of curry soaked rice on his spoon and watched as he brought it to his mouth, spilling most on the way. He took a lick of what was on the spoon and tentatively put what remained in his mouth. He then scooped up the rice that landed on his tray, shoved it in his mouth and cried, “Eh! Eh!” (a noise that’s best described as the sound of a seagull) pointing to my plate. I gave him another scoop of rice, this time with some broccoli. Using a combination of hands and spoon he ate it. Suddenly realizing the food was spicy, he looked around wide-eyed, wiped his tongue with his hands and cried again for more. The next round I gave him a bit of tofu, a food he’s always refused, and ate it, not even bothering to eye it suspiciously. I was shocked. While Bob and I finished our dinner, Sam ate along with us, asking for more until none remained on our plates. He paused occasionally for water and to wipe at his tongue, but he left none on his tray, and threw none on the floor. I couldn’t be more surprised or more proud. My little boy is growing up.

Red Thai Curry

2 cans coconut milk (unsweetened, not coconut creme!)
2 tablespoons prepared red curry paste
2 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 package extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup broccoli florets
1 can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro or basil
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts (optional)

Add 1 cup of coconut milk to a large dutch oven and whisk together with the curry paste until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the rest of the coconut milk with the fish sauce and brown sugar and cook about 5 minutes more. Add broccoli, tofu and pineapple to the pot and cook about 5 minutes more. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in the lime juice and herbs. Serve over rice and top with peanuts.

This is a simple, one-pot recipe with room for many changes. The curry paste is made with red chiles so it’s spicy, but the spice is nicely offset by the sugar and fruit. Use less if you’re unsure. If you’re calorie conscious you can use light coconut milk, but I just tell myself that coconut milk is healthy, whether it is or not. If you don’t like tofu, add chicken, beef, shrimp, or even salmon to the curry instead, just make sure the meat is fully cooked before serving. There’s plenty of leeway with the veggies as well, I’ve made it before with green beans, snow peas, regular peas, edamame, and various types of peppers and I’ve substituted mango for the pineapple. Mint is also a good addition, but if you don’t have fresh herbs leave them out- dried herbs don’t work well as a substitute. Your local supermarket should carry the first three ingredients in the ethnic food aisle.

Annie’s Homegrown, Thai curry, Thai food, one pot meals, recipe